Fci Americas Technology Inc.

Berg Technology, Inc.

Joseph Blair Shuey

Stephen B Smith

Clifford L Winings

Gregory A Hull

Timothy A Lemke

Timothy W Houtz

Jose L Ortega

Steven E Minich

Stephen L Clark

John B Brown, Iii

Stuart Craig Stoner

Lewis Robin Johnson

Stefaan Hendrik Josef Sercu

Stefaan Hendrik Jozef Sercu

Mark R Gray

Alan Raistrick

Stanley W Olson

Dean E Geibel

Christopher J Kolivoski

William Arthur Northey

Marlyn E Hahn

James R Volstorf

Daniel B Bertoncini

Derek L Brickner

Stanley Allen Kline

Michael V Strawser

Joseph L Ortega

Ryan S Gelotte

An electrical connector with at least two connector portions. A first connector portion and a second connector portion may each be mountable on a respective surface, such as a printed circuit board. The first and second connector portions may each include a housing. The housing of the first connector portion may include a bore and an adjacent pin. The housing of the second connector portion may also include a bore and an adjacent pin. The pin of the first connector portion may be received in the bore of the second connector portion, and the pin of the second connector portion may be received in the bore of the first connector portion, when the two connector portions are mated to one another. In one embodiment, the first and second connector portions may be substantially identical to one another.

Electrical connector mating guide

Embodiments of electrical connectors include substantially identical first and second halves. The first and second halves each include insert molded leadframe assemblies that comprise electrical conductors. Each electrical conductor of the first half engages a substantially identical electrical conductor of the second half when the first and second halves are mated.

Mezzanine-type electrical connectors

A vehicle safety system including a steering column, a keying member, and a squib. The steering column includes a first steering column section longitudinally slidably connected to a second steering column section. The keying member locates the first and second steering column sections at a fixed longitudinal position relative to each other. The squib is located relative to the keying member to exert a force on the keying member when the squib is initiated to thereby allow the first and second steering column sections to longitudinally slide relative to each other to shorten a length of the steering column.

Collapsible vehicle steering column

The invention provides a connector incorporating an overmolded housing that may control the position of the mounting ends of the connector and may provide a structure to help transfer the forces for press fit of the connector to the printed circuit board (PCB). Such a connector may include a first leadframe assembly having a plurality of contacts, a second leadframe assembly having a plurality of contacts, an edge card, and a tail alignment housing. Each contact may include a lead portion and a mounting end. The lead portions of the contacts may engage the edge card. The tail alignment housing may include a housing body and a plurality of tail supports extending from the housing body. The tail alignment housing may be overmolded onto at least a portion of the mounting ends.

Overmolded electrical contact array

An electrical connector assembly is provided for mounting onto a panel having a panel opening. The connector assembly includes a connector and a latch. The latch is configured to mount on the connector, and attach to the panel as the housing is inserted into the opening.

Panel-mount connectors with latching features

Disclosed are blade contacts that may be suitable for mating with &#x3bc;TCA-standard receptacle contacts. Such a blade contact may define a body portion, and a tab portion extending from a mating end of the body portion. The tab portion may be a tapered tab portion that tapers from a first width at the mating end of the body portion to a second, lesser width at a distal end of the tab portion. The body portion may define a single beam portion from which the tab portion and one or more terminal pins extend. Alternatively, the body portion may define a first beam portion from which the tab portion extends, and a second beam portion from which the terminal pins extend. Thus, the body portion may be generally L-shaped. Electrical connectors including such contacts are also disclosed.

&#x3bc;TCA-compliant power contacts

The invention provides a connector that incorporates an insert that may protect the contacts of a card slot. The insert may also double as a structural member so that the opening of the card slot does not deform. The insert may be a device that engages the card slot of an edge card. In one embodiment, the insert may include a wall stop, a grip, and a protective member. The grip may extend from a back side of the wall stop and the protective member may extend from a front side of the wall stop.

Contact protector

A pair of mating connectors includes a receptacle having an insulative housing and at least one conductive receptacle contact with a pair of spaced walls forming a plug contact receiving space. The plug connector has an insulative housing and at least one conductive contact having a pair of spaced walls which converge to form a projection engageable in the plug receiving space of the receptacle contact. In each case, the spaced walls are joined by a bridging structure that unites the walls. The plug and receptacle contacts are retained in the respective housings by engagement of opposed lateral edge portions of the contacts with the housings in a manner to enhance heat dissipation by convection by maintaining substantial portions of the contacts spaced from the housing walls and from each other. The bridging structure may include a retention element for engaging respective connector housings to retain the contact in the housings. The open structure of both the receptacle and plug contacts enhances heat dissipation and allows flexibility in achieving desired contact normal forces. The contact construction is especially useful for electronic power connectors.

Power connector

In an electrical connector, cross talk between signal contacts in adjacent linear columns and rows may be reduced by changing the size of the lead portions of the contacts extending within a leadframe housing. For example, the height of the ground contact lead portions may be increased to further isolate signal contacts in adjacent columns from interfering electrical fields. The height of the signal contact lead portions may be decreased in order to accommodate the larger ground contact lead portions without increasing the overall size of the connector. Smaller signal contact lead portions may reduce the overall length differential between signal contacts in a differential pair, thereby minimizing signal skew.

Electrical connector with elongated ground contacts

An electrical connector may include a connector housing and a first alignment post. The first alignment post may extend from the bottom of the connector housing. The electrical connector may further include a protrusion that extends from the bottom of the connector housing. The protrusion may impede the electrical connector from tipping in at least one direction relative to a substrate. Additionally, the protrusion may be positioned relative to the center of gravity of the electrical connector to impede the electrically connector from tipping in at least one direction relative to the substrate.

Electrical connector stability enhancement

An electrical connector according to the invention may include a first signal contact that defines a first side and a first edge, wherein the first side is greater in length than the first edge, the first edge having a first edge width, and a second signal contact that defines a second side and a second edge, wherein the second side is greater in length that the second edge, the second edge having a second edge width. The first signal contact and the second signal contact may be positioned edge-to-edge. A gap may be defined between the first edge of the first signal contact and the second edge of the second signal contact. The gap may have a gap width that is approximately equal to at least one of the first edge width and the second edge width. The connector may have a column pitch, and the gap width may be based on the column pitch. The gap width may be approximately 0.3-0.4 millimeters.

Electrical connectors having differential signal pairs configured to reduce cross-talk on adjacent pairs

A flexible flat connector cable electrical contact including a first connection section adapted to be connected to an electrical conductor of a flexible flat conductor (FFC) cable; and a second connection section electrical coupled to the first connection section and adapted to be electrically connected to another member. The first connection section includes at least one staple feature having a hole and only two outwardly extending lances at the hole. Each lance has a pointed tip adapted to pierce through the electrical conductor of the FFC cable. The lances are adapted to be deformed back towards the electrical conductor to form a stapled connection of the first connection section to the FFC cable with only the two lances at the staple feature.

Electrical contact with stapled connection

A high-speed electrical connector is disclosed. The high-speed electrical connector connects a first electrical device having a first ground reference to a second electrical device having a second ground reference. The connector, which includes a connector housing and a signal contact, is devoid of any ground connection that is adapted to electrically connect the first ground reference and the second ground reference.

Growing community of inventors

Camp Hill, PA, United States of America

Joseph Blair Shuey